


birds of a feather

by lunardistance



Series: SH 30 Day Fic Meme [7]
Category: Sound Horizon
Genre: Alcohol, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 08:36:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11596980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunardistance/pseuds/lunardistance
Summary: Fresh from the disappointment of another failed job hunt, Hiver Laurant seriously considers a stranger's offer.(day 2: write a short fanfiction that features two male characters.)





	birds of a feather

The bar was crowded, even for the early evening. The regulars probably wouldn’t be coming around till at least nightfall, but Hiver was already having trouble navigating through the crowds of people that had gathered inside. They all seemed to move with each other so easily, unlike him who bumped into someone with every other step. Thankfully, no one seemed to mind that much; most just grinned and waved him off when he apologized, clearly amused at the newcomer.

He’d always known that the city was much more populated than the town, but to actually experience it was a different matter entirely. He finally made it to the bar, almost crashing into one of the seats at the counter, and flagged down the bartender nervously. The large man slid a couple of drinks to the customers on the other side of the bar before turning his attention to Hiver.

He gulped nervously, fishing around in his pockets for the crumpled paper that advertised a job opening at the bar, and unfolded it for the man’s inspection. To his chagrin, the bartender shook his head, gruffly explaining that the position had been filled yesterday, just when Hiver had gotten into town. The man must have noticed his crestfallen expression—a two day journey into the city with nothing to show for his troubles would be hard on anyone—for he quickly served up a drink on the house.

Hiver swilled the cheap alcohol in his mug and stared at his reflection in the amber liquid. Travelling out hadn’t been cheap, and although his sister would never fault him for this misfortune, he still felt guilty to have wasted money, especially when they were saving up for a crucial event. With a sigh, he tipped the mug back and took a swig of the beer, allowing the burning sensation to travel down his throat.

However, even the mouthful of alcohol was not enough to distract him from the light touch to his leg, and he quickly grabbed at the hand sliding into his pockets, his grip tight enough to ensure that the would-be thief would not be able to slip away. Furious eyes met surprised ones, before the owner of the hand broke into laughter.

“Not bad there, Johnny,” the man—boy? He hardly looked any older than him—grinned, throwing a rough arm around his shoulder while calling out to the bartender. “Pierre! The usual, eh!”

“My name is not Johnny, and you just tried to steal from me,” Hiver said accusingly, trying to sidle away from the man as best as he could. His hold was surprisingly strong, however, so the most Hiver could do was to tuck his jacket closer around him, keeping a wary eye on the other man’s hands.

“Johnny-come-lately? C'mon, you stick out from this crowd like a sore thumb,” the man grinned, finally taking the seat next to him and unwrapping his arm from around Hiver’s shoulder to accept the mug that Pierre passed to him. “Don’t take it personally, though. You wouldn’t be the first new kid in town that I’ve spotted. Call it a gesture of welcome.”

“Welcome?” Hiver echoed incredulously. “Why haven’t they thrown you out yet?”

“Shhh,” the man hushed him quickly, throwing him a reprimanding glance as he gulped down a mouthful of his own drink. “There are certain arrangements in place, and I’d appreciate it very much if you didn’t blab about this to anyone else.”

“Or what? You’ll turn me in to the police?” Hiver scoffed, taking a sip from his mug – he needed the burn, else he might just end up punching this man squarely in that smug little grin of his.

The man turned in his seat, regarding him from head to toe. “You came here to look for a job, didn’t you?”

Hiver frowned, but didn’t refute him.

The other man hummed thoughtfully, taking another swig. “Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you’re not going to get very far without some connections. People are a little tight on jobs now, you see, even way out here. However, I might just know of an opening. A partnership, you might even call it.”

“… You can’t be offering me a job?” Hiver gaped. “Not after you just tried to— why would you…?”

“Because you’ve got a pretty face, Johnny,” the man smirked. “Perfect for covert operations. Say… _deliveries_. Of a certain nature.”

His brow furrowed. “Why should I accept?”

The man nodded down at Hiver’s trouser pockets. “You’re in this for someone, aren’t you? Thing is, you need a job. You wouldn’t have gone all the way out here if you didn’t, and it’d be a right shame to go all the way back empty-handed.”

Hiver shook his head in disbelief. “Why are you helping me out? Of all people, why me?”

At this, the man’s smirk softened just around the edges into a genuine smile. “If you’d been a regular man, Johnny, I’d have taken that picture out of your pocket before you could blink.” He laughed at the incredulous expression on Hiver’s face. “Kind of stupid to keep it in your trousers, by the way, but hey, I’m not questioning your choices.”

Hiver shut his open mouth at that, his lips pulling into a frown again, but this time, his brow was furrowed more in thought than in distrust. “It’s not Johnny. It’s Hiver.”

“Hiver,” the man repeated, rolling the ‘r’ on his tongue. “Definitely a country kid, aren’t you?”

He laughed, avoiding the light punch Hiver threw at his shoulder only half-heartedly, and stretched out a hand to him. “The name’s Laurencin. Nice to meet you, Hiver.”


End file.
